Study Break

Gretchen was having a crisis. This was something she didn't normally have and she didn't like the feeling at all. She didn't like the feeling of being on edgy, she was moody and distant. More than usual. She was always moody, honestly. Maybe that's why she didn't have many friends....or any really. Maybe it was because she gave off a vibe that scared people or told people not to mess with her. If that were the case, she wished that vibe would go away. She felt incredibly lonely at times and that made school very tough for the seventh year. She didn't have anyone to talk to about the stress of schoolwork or the fact that she was pretty sure there were trolls living somewhere in the castle. She was pretty sure there was something in the castle that the professors and headmistress were trying to hide from their students. She wasn't quite sure what it was though, but at the moment she couldn't focus on that. Though her mind wondered, Gretch had a lot of studying to do. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do once she graduated but she was going to study her butt off and hopefully pick some sort of career by the time she graduated.

So there she was, books opened in front of her, hair a mess and biting her nails. Her nails were done for, there was hardly anything left but that didn't stop her from biting. And she usually made her fingers bleed that way but she was trying to get better at that. She tapped her foot as she tried to study but her mind kept wondering to nonsense. Her thoughts were too distracting so she gave up on studying for the moment and shut the book she had been reading. "Do you think that they're hiding something in the castle?" she whispered to anyone who would be listening. She knew she couldn't talk too loudly because people were there to study and she knew she'd get in trouble.

Minnie may not put much effort into subjects she didn't deem worth the time but she more than made up for it in others. DADA was one of those worthy subjects she did extremely well in. Afterall you never knew when you may have the misfortune to meet a dark creature whether human or not. She wanted to be prepared. Right now though as she worked through her essay on Cornish Pixies she wondered if perhaps that subject was only useful if you were to go to Cornwall in England. Well she had travelled all the way to New Zealand with her mother so it was possible that she may one day find herself in England. It was much closer than a country she called her home for two whole years of her life.

She wrinkled her nose as she tried to find a valid reason why the Pixies might be considered dark creatures rather than mere irritations. Anything to justify why Professor Cox brought them up in the first place. Perhaps it was to only fill in a hole in the second year curriculum. The unit on the Yeti, another creature she was unlikely to encounter inside France, looked like it would be much more interesting. She had diverted from Cornish Pixies to reading ahead since the professor did mention he would begin teaching them on that creature in the next lesson.

The whispered question of a much older girl brought Minnie back from the world of Tibet and the Yeti with a start. She blinked at the girl as she worked through the question in her head. "Here? In this place? I can't say I've given it much thought. What makes you think something is hidden in the palace?" Ever curious about things which mattered Minnie closed the book and gave the girl her full attention.

Gretchen was a firm believer in tall tales and loved a good story. She liked to tell stories of things that probably weren't true but she believed to be. And once she had heard a few rumors around the castle about some strange things or creatures around the castle. Of course since this was a magical school and no where near normal, most people knew about a lot of the strange stuff she tried to talk about. But there were a few things that caught people off guard and she loved to continue to tell those tales to anyone willing to listen.

And the girl that shared her table was willing to listen. A huge grin spread across the seventh year's face. "I heard there's trolls!" Of course this story had been told over and over and was a very old story, one told by many students before her. But maybe the girl didn't know about the trolls. "Did you know about the mermaid in the lake?" Of course she had never seen her herself but she had heard from someone that knew someone that knew someone that knew someone who's brother had seen the creature. "I heard she's shy and doesn't like to be seen."

"Trolls? As in plural?"  Minnie wondered if perhaps this girl had spoken to her mother at all and exaggerated the story.  "I heard there was one but no more than that.  I wonder where it'd be hidden if it is in the dungeon."  That part hadn't been mentioned by the older girl but that was part of the rumour she'd heard via Maman.  Perhaps it was high time she investigated this.  She was sure Madi would be willing to join her in the investigation.

She nodded. "Everyone knows there's a mermaid in the lake." And if they didn't know then it was high time they did.  "Shyness never did anyone any good.  She must lead a lonely existence if there are no other merpeople with her."  Hiding in a lake all on her own sounded awfully lonely to Minnie.  She'd hate to have no friends to keep her company.